maile

American  

[mahy-ley, -lee, mah-ee-ley] / ˈmaɪ leɪ, -li, ˈmɑ iˌleɪ /

noun

1. a vine, Alyxia olivaeformis, of Hawaii, having small yellowish flowers and fragrant foliage: a traditional lei plant of Hawaii.

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Etymology

Origin of maile

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1905–10

Example Sentences

After the hearing, Berry said the lei was made from the maile plant and shipped from Hawaii for Akaka.

From Washington Post • Sep. 20, 2012

Sometimes they consist of the bright yellow ilimu-flowers or brilliant scarlet pomegranate-blossoms strung on a fibre of the banana-stalk—sometimes they are woven of ferns or of a fragrant wild vine called maile.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 26, October, 1880 by Various

She wore a loose flowing gown of white, and a maile branch twisted about her head hardly confined the silky hair which floated down her back.

From Six Prize Hawaiian Stories of the Kilohana Art League by Armstrong, W. N.

He directed them to build a large lanai, or arbor, to be entirely covered with ferns, ginger, maile, and ieie—the sweet and odorous foliage greens of the islands.

From Hawaiian Folk Tales A Collection of Native Legends by Thrum, Thomas G. (Thomas George)

In the arch of each window hung a wreath of maile, a pretty green vine.

From Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California by Anderson, Mary E. (Mary Evarts)